Yankees rally back twice, hang on for 8-7 win over Red Sox

That was a good ol’ fashioned ESPN Sunday Night high-scoring four-hour Yankees-Red Sox nail-biter. I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had one of those. The Yankees came out on top this time, walking away with an 8-7 win and a series win overall. That was a pretty great win. Let’s recap:

Early Hole: David Phelps clearly did not have it. He allowed three runs on four hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then another two runs on a single, a homer (Dustin Pedroia), and a walk in the second. Phelps was lifted after putting eight guys on base and throwing 53 pitches to get six outs. It initially appeared he was lifted due to simple ineffectiveness, but we eventually learned he’s dealing with some elbow inflammation. That’s not what the Yankees need right now, even if his ligament is fine.

Rally Back: Phelps has been good overall this year and was just off his game/hurt on Sunday. Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, has been terrible in 2014. Immediately after his team staked him to a 3-0 lead in the first, he handed it back in the second. Two walks (Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann) and a single (Carlos Beltran) loaded the bases with no outs, then Stephen Drew plated one run with a ground ball back to the pitcher (play developed too slowly to turn two) and Brett Gardner drove in two more with a double to right. The two teams combined for eight runs in the first two innings.

Rally Back, Again: Phelps allowed the two runs in the second to make it 5-3, though the Yankees cut the deficit to 5-4 when McCann and Drew doubled in the fourth. David Ortiz mashed a two-run tater off Chase Whitley in the bottom half, extending Boston’s lead to 7-4. The half-inning after that, New York knotted the game at seven on a double (Beltran), a walk (McCann), a run-scoring double (Headley), and a two-run single (Drew). The Yankees did a great job answering the Red Sox’s runs in the first and fourth with rallies to tie the next half-inning.

Power-Hitting Left Fielder: Drew’s two-run single in the fifth gave his new team new life after Ortiz’s blast appeared to put the game to bed. BoSox skipper John Farrell went to lefty Craig Breslow to match up against Brett Gardner, but it didn’t work. Not at all. Gardner clubbed his 15th (15th!) homerun of the season leading off the sixth, giving the Yankees their first lead of the game. It wasn’t a no-doubter, in fact I thought it was going to be caught right until the moment it settled into the bullpen. Fifteen homers for Gardner. How about that? He’s been their best player this year and it’s not close.

Unsung Hero: Whitley wasn’t very good in his two innings, but holy smokes, unsung hero of the night award goes to Esmil Rogers. He made his Yankees debut in the fifth inning and retired nine of ten batters faced, giving the offense a chance to get back in the game. Rogers struck out three and mowed right through Ortiz, Yoenis Cespedes, and Mike Napoli in the seventh, his third inning of work. The Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this week and this outing alone makes the waiver claim worth it. Anything from here on out is gravy. Great job, Esmil.

Dellin & Dave: As he tends to do, Dellin Betances generated some hilariously awful swings in his perfect eighth inning, striking out two. David Robertson, on the other hand, did everything in his power to bring Ortiz to the plate one last time. He walked number nine hitter Christian Vazquez on four pitches leading off the inning, but Brock Holt bailed him out by lining into a double play. Pinch-runner Mookie Betts took off with the pitch, which was lined right at Headley. Robertson ran the count full to Pedroia, who swung at balls four, five, and six before grounding out to end the game. Ortiz was left on deck. Hey, not every save is pretty, but a save is a save and a win is a win.

Leftovers: Gardner drew a walk and was a triple away from the cycle … Beltran (single, double), McCann (double, two walks), and Drew (single, double) all reached base multiple times … the ultra-slumping Jacoby Ellsbury was the only starter who failed to reach base … the bullpen held the Red Sox hitless after the fourth inning … Rogers was the 29th different pitcher to pitch for the Yankees this season, a new franchise record … the Yankees have now played 14 straight games decided by two or fewer runs, extending the franchise record.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs has some other stats, and ESPN has the updated standings. The Orioles and Royals won while the Blue Jays and Mariners lost, so the Yankees are five games back in the AL East and 1.5 games back of the second wild-card. FanGraphs put their postseason odds at 19.7%. The new look Tigers are coming to the town for a four-game set starting Monday night. Brandon McCarthy and reigning AL Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer will be the pitching matchup. Check out RAB Tickets if you want to catch the game live.

Can we remember this game and how we’re feeling about this team for more than, say, a day?

;)

Pete22

We beat a last place team who had a pitcher who had given up 15 runs in his last 17 innings. Its nice to win but its hardly a memorable win in my mind.

Real test will come these next 4 games against a good team. If they can win 3 of 4 against the Tigers I might start believing in them being more than a 500 team which is what they have been for over 1/2 a season now.

Encouraged by the new on Tanaka and Pineda as well, and like what I see from Drew and Headley, not to mention the Bomber Gardner, slight discouraged by yet another injury to a SP’er

mustang

Everything that this guy said.

They had a 3-3 road trip vs. 2 of the worse teams in the league. Neither Tanaka nor Pineda are in the rotation and they lost yet another starter.

Nice win, but been here done this.

Jorge Steinbrenner

These don’t count as half a win in the standings.

Dalek Jeter

Short answer? No. If the team is losing 2-0 after the 1st inning of tomorrow’s (technically today’s) game we’ll hear the constant bemoaning about how terrible this offense is, how awful a manager Girardi is, about how it’s a horrible affront to the fans that Jeter is batting second, how Cashman deserves to be keelhauled and yadayadayada…then the team will come back to tie it and/or win and all of those guys will either vanish or act like they never said it.

Barry

Yes. You are right on the money. Keep it going and don’t let up on these ‘people’.

nycsportzfan

What cracks me up is the ones that talk all that shit when the Yankees are losing and how the games over when its 3-0 in the 1st, and then after they come back to win , they say its no big deal because the pitching for the redsox sucked.lol Idiots.lol

Dalek Jeter

sportzphan, you and I are almost never on the same page…but I couldn’t agree more. Fans/posters are the worst.

Dalek Jeter

fans/posters LIKE THAT are the worst ***

Pete22

Quite a straw man you built and burned. Lol

Dalek Jeter

Go back to literally any game’s game thread that the Yankees fell behind in the first or second and search (ctrl+f) the term “it’s over” and read through the posts while their losing for the “Girardi/Cashman sucks. Then find when they take the lead You’ll see the same people who said “it’s over” or calling for firings are either gone or talking about how they always knew the team would win. This is nowhere near in my head and is a regular occurrence and many regulars will get my back on that.

Macho Man “Randy Levine”

It’s gotten to the point where that happens so often, and so often in games where they’ve actually come back, that I’m beginning to think it’s a good luck charm.

nycsportzfan

Agreed!

Jorge Steinbrenner

+1

http://www.twitter.com/mattpat11 Matt DiBari

That Pedroia foul ball was no fun.

The rest of the game, more fun

Carlos Beddardtran

This was the biggest win of the season. It was a must win and they never gave up, showed a lot of grit and gut. The lineup gives you great AB’s top to bottom. Carlos, Gardy and Drew are going good right now. I knew something was wrong with BGDP with the way he was struggling. Robertson got lucky. Give him a QO in the offseason and if he walks make Delin the closer.

Exiledintampa

Dellin Betances in a league of his own.

Y’s Guy

Great to see the offense pick up the pitching for once!

jjt

Ladies and gentlemen….Esmil Rogers

Pete22

Yeah, he was one of the keys to this game. 3 shut down innings. New guys contributing for this W.

Go win

- Yankees come back from a 3 run dissadvantage . . . twice against the Red Sox at Fenway.
– Drew has 4 RBIs against his old team . . . After being traded dor Johnson.
– Pineda pitches very well in his first rehab start.
– Tanaka is cleared ro start throwing a baseball.
All of this happening in one day. It must have been one of the best days for the yankees in the year!!!
Now I am ready to go to sleep!

Chip Rodriguez

my nerves did not like that game. If I still had a swear jar, it would have bought me a nice car at the end of the game.

But this is one of my favorite wins of the season so far. Three comebacks from 3 run deficits, with no starting pitching. This team’s tough.

Hankflorida

All we need is Ellsbury to give us some of his 2011 numbers and maybe the Yanks can overpower all these injuries to our starting pitching and at least get to that one game in October.

Pete22

We are getting those numbers in the 2nd half, just they are coming from Gardner. Drew might give us that shot in the arm you are looking for. Ells hit the ball well this series but not much luck.

Terry

Drew will now get to test his LH power stroke in Yankee stadium. Problem is, the Detroit pitchers aren’t exactly the best way to break it in.

Interesting circumstances.

Pete22

Hopefully Drew sits against Price, save his bat to PH against a RHPer late in the game. His one weakness is against LHPers

Hankflorida

I was lookin for another power bat in RF now that Beltran is at DH. Prado would be good at 2nd with Drew and Headly for next year, and if A-Rod still has life in his bat, DH could be his spot with Beltran in right.

nycsportzfan

Exactly. If anything its kinda nice having some other guys carrying us and once one or 2 of em slow down, guys like Ells and Prado will probablly of heated up.

Real Siskel

DRob lucked out tonight. Great win. Fingers crossed that Phelps is OK.

Evan3457

Pefunctory SSS disclaimer.

Drew, last 16 games: .267/.379/.500 with 11 RBI, 11 K, 10 BB

FIPster Doofus

The rust has worn off.

JALVNV

The homestand coming is the true test—Contender or Pretender?

Evan3457

A split against the Tigers would be outstanding.

Dalek Jeter

Or…and hear me out here because this is going to sound crazy…we stop saying that ‘THIS COMING SERIES/ROADTRIP/HOMESTAND is the determining factor or true test on whether the team will make the playoffs or not’ and wait till the end of the season to see if that record is good enough to make the playoffs.

ropeadope

Heresy!

Pete22

So see you in October. As for me, I enjoy analyzing the team during the season, and the Tigers will be a good test for this new lineup withTex and Beltran looking healthy.

Dalek Jeter

I’ll still watch every…many of the games…but I’m not going to make declarations like “these 5 games are the most important.” Right now they’re on the outside looking in, so regardless of it’s a potential play off team, or the Rays, or the Rangers, or The Mets, or the New Hampshire Fisher Cats…they need to win.

forensic

If you could find a way to get more games against the Fisher Cats on the schedule, it’d be greatly appreciated.

Deep Thoughts

Stop repeating hyped-up TV advance promos. They’re just 3 interdivisional games just like the others. You gotta win ‘em if you want to move up in the standings. You take each one at a time.

Dalek Jeter

“You take each one at a time.” Reminds me the of the words of the immortal Mariano Duncan: “We play today, we win today. Dassit.” Seriously though…we need to stop thinking “this series” or “this road trip” or “this stretch of games” right now the team is outside looking in…so it should be “this game right in front of us.”

Dalek Jeter

Man, reading through game threads will never not be a good time. You guys are so predictable. Team gets down early and everybody sucks and/or deserves to be fired and this team has absolutely zero shot to make the playoffs..team goes ahead and everything is shiny and happy.

Deep Thoughts

That’s when I like to think the site dials it up a notch to River Avenue Bipolar Disorder.

Terry

Toronto got swept by the Astros.

Never figured that, so the Yankees got a huge break with help from Houston

From here on out, the schedule is tougher. 10 straight games without a day off with a quick turnover in travel:

Detroit 4 games (Scherzer, Price, Verlander, Porcello)

Cleveland 3 games

Baltimore 3 games

If the Yankees can just break even on those 10 games, they’re in good shape.

During that time, Toronto will have 9 games against Baltimore, Detroit, and Seattle.

Kansas City gets Arizona, San Fransisco, and 4 games against the A’s.

So by the end of these 10 games, there could be a lot of movement int he WC standings, and even in the AL East standings.

ScottinSJ

I wouldn’t say winning 5 of the next 10 puts them in good shape, but anything less than 5 wins puts them in trouble.

Terry

5 will be enough.

Unless the Jays go on a torrid pace (highly unlikely), nobody will really sew up the WC by September. Nobody can win it, and nobody can lose it.

They’re all just building margins, and keeping their rosters in good order.

Then the rosters expand and it’s a free-for-all; Every team in the AL East plays each other, and a 6 game lead in the standings can turn into a mountain or evaporate in a couple of weeks. It’s not uncommon for a team at that stage to just collapse like the Red Sox, or get desperate and win out like the Rays often do.

Either way, it’ll be fun.

Hankflorida

Terry, you are starting the track to October as last year, we had the schedule of every team vying for the 2nd Wildcard where the Yankees dropped out of it in late September.

ropeadope

Didn’t Toronto beat Houston in game 1 of their series. Cosart was scheduled to start but got moved at the trade deadline. Substitute pitcher threw well, but I seem to recall the Blue Jays coming out on top.

Terry

Yup, you’re right.

Houston lost the first game.

Well, they still took 3 games, more than the Yankees had any right to expect.

ropeadope

Without a doubt. I’d sign up for three out of four in that series all the time.

nycsportzfan

As Houston showed us against Toronto, anything can happen. Thats why this game was so big. I’d much rather go into this Det series with a bit of confidence and not having lost 2of3 to the RedSox.

I think tomorrows games huge. I’d like to get the McCarthy and Kuroda games so were playing with House money come Capuano and Greene.

Terry

It wouldn’t be surprising if Scherzer shut them down.

Or Price.

Or even Verlander.

I would honestly be happy just taking one game from Detroit; their lineup is very capable of blowing the game open early.

Cleveland and Baltimore, I think, are the real test. The new lineup will be up against some mediocre pitching in friendly ballparks.

If the Detroit Tigers win the series, that’s not the end of the world. It doesn’t mean the lineup is bad. Seriously, it’s Scherzer, Price and Verlander. Porcello isn’t too shabby either.

I look at Detroit as more of a test for the pitchers. If the rotation can compete, scratching out a win isn’t too much to ask for. And if the Yankees get a split or even win the series against Detroit, the Yankees are playing with house money going into the Cleveland series.

Lukasz

Favorite part of the game was the Pedoria foul ball, it was such a tease for Boston fans

Terry

All in all, it was a classy series with the Red Sox fans and competition.

They’re out of the race, but you expect them to give the Yankees good at-bats and to throw out their best pitching and bullpen.

Tip your cap and wish them luck because the Yankees will need the Red Sox to play just as competitively against the Jays (6 games), Royals (3 games) and even the O’s (6 games).

Lukasz

What I really love is that Gardner’s homeruns are very lengthy, it’s not like he is just hitting lucky wallscrapers. Thats how you know his power is legit ;P

Terry

Gardner’s home runs have usually been bombs.

You figure the inside the park homeruns must skew his distance average downward by quite a bit, but Gardner’s never been a weak hitter; he was simply trained as a slap-hitter in the minors, perhaps wrongly. He’s built like Ricky Henderson and gets a lot of driving force from the base of his legs when he decides to channel it through the turn of his hips (the main difference between his slap-style and his pull style).

Some people might remember seeing his first home run besides his inside-the-parkers. It sailed past the short porch and into the second deck.

The fans were probably thinking:

“Wow. He can hit it like that?!”

And then when everyone took a closer look at Gardner, they realized that, while he looks really short next to Jeter and A-Rod, he’s built like a Tank, even more than Girardi is.

JimK

The Rays and the Jays, and I believe the O’s all have had a stretch of about 25-30 games where they played phenomenal baseball, in fact out of all the second WC contenders I think the Yankees are the only team that has not put together any sustained period of winning. Hopefully they are due.

Chip Rodriguez

the O’s offense has been pretty poor the last week or so. They’ve just been fortunate to play a team with even worse offense.

Hopefully the Blue Jays and Cards do some damage to their pitching/pen before next weekend.

Dalek Jeter

Game plan on dealing with Cabrera: IBB HIM literally every time up.

Chip Rodriguez

Victor Martinez has been scary lately.

Dalek Jeter

*sweats nervously*

forensic

Before his last two games, VMart had actually been struggling for a couple weeks since coming back from his injury leading into the ASB.

FIPster Doofus

He’s having a better season than Cabrera.

Deep Thoughts

I absolutely agree with this strategy except I’d like to see a Betances-Cabrera mano a mano steel cage match-up. Preferably with the Yankees up 11-2.

JALVNV

Phelps is a journeyman and easily replaced….I am not worried about Phelps —-

Dalek Jeter

Or, coming into tonight’s game he was the team’s 2nd most valuable healthy starter this season.

mustang

THIS!!!

Terry

The Yankees need Phelps.

They can’t afford to lose him during a stretch where the rosters have not expanded yet. He’s a capable innings eater, at least moreso than than any pitcher looking to replace him (like Whitley and Esmil).

If the Yankees do lose him, the pitching staff and Bullpen are that much closer to breaking when the AL East gets serious in September.

He’s no journeyman right now, and being the only home-grown starter left, Yankee fans are pulling for him anyway.

ScottinSJ

Agreed

mustang

Really!
By who?

Get Phelps Up

A journeyman who’s spent his whole career in one origins zayin.

Get Phelps Up

Organization.

mustang

and THIS!!!

FIPster Doofus

Phelps isn’t any great shakes. But he’s not easily replaceable for a team that was hard up for pitching when he was healthy and has already had to dig deep into its depth at the position. Not that hard to figure out.

forensic

He had a sub-4 ERA in nearly 100 innings as a starter this season before tonight. You’re in for a rude awakening if you think that’s going to be easily replaced.

mustang

THIS !!!!!
and he doing it with inflammation for three or four starts now.

trisha

1. There were posters in the game thread who never gave up.

2. I will remember this game and it doesn’t matter that it was won against a last place team, when you remember that the starting pitcher, while not having his best season, isn’t necessarily chopped liver and that’s who’s in there trying to keep your runs down.

I will remember this because I tend to remember that this Yankee team has the grit and the goods to get the job done. If others take a game-by-game temperature and live in the “what have you done for me lately” camp, that’s their right and it’s on them.

As far as I’m concerned, this team still has what it takes to win the divison.

Pete22

How do we know what this Yankee team is? There are only 3 starting position players who were on the team last year, and 2 of them barely played last year. With Phelps out, not a single member of the rotation pitched last year for the Yankees other than Kuroda and he collapsed the last 2 months.

New territory. I do think some of the new acquisitions can spark what has been a lack luster and mediocre team thus far.

n0exit

Chad at lohud writes that they don’t seem too concerned. More of a problem towards the triceps and its been something he’s dealt with for a few weeks. He recently had an MRI that was clean, I think one start from rogers and Whitley with huff backing them up and then pineda comes in after his next rehab and throws 90 pitches, not ideal as you probably want three rehab starts from pineda but considering the options its the best they can do. Hopefully phelpsie is back after 15 days.

mustang

Just can’t get excited about this win. We been playing this game all year with this team once again 4 games over .500 after a hard 3-3 road trip vs. garbage teams. Let see if they can leave Yankees Stadium after this home stand with an above .500 record at home.

Dalek Jeter

RAB broke mustang(!!!!)’s enthusiasm. That’s how you know this place can get down.

forensic

Heh, I actually mentioned that the other day, asking him if he’s OK. August mustang is a far cry from April mustang.

Dalek Jeter

Well he wouldn’t be the first to let outside things effect their view on the team and/or the boards and bring it here to the boards. I always am a much nicer poster when I’m in a good mood and a lot more likely to call people out or be negative when I’m in a shit mood.

mustang

This!!!!

But I’m ok.

mustang

LMAO

They go 5-2 this home stand and I will start to believe again.

Hankflorida

I don’t care how we get to the dance floor. as long as we get there. the second Wildcard is fine by me especially with the loss of Tanaka; it is a big deal not to have him as he gave our pen some easy time. What I see different in Gardner is that he is swinging hard at the pitcher’s mistake and still punching at those tough pitchers.

But, playing off this list, Kemp now has 5 HR in his last 6 games. I know I’m still really in the minority, but I think I’d still take a shot at him if he was available. A straight-up waiver claim to take all the money might be tough, but if a deal could be worked out where they ate some of the money for a mid-to-low range prospect, I’d be pretty interested in it.

Kronk

I never thought I (or anyone for that matter) would say this, but Brett should be batting 3rd.

Terry

Michael Axisa: “It wasn’t a no-doubter, in fact I thought it was going to be caught right until the moment it settled into the bullpen.”

True enough, I was worried it wouldn’t carry enough and the RF was playing pretty deep. But it carried well over the bullpen into the stands, as it turned out.

The ESPN announcers mentioned that Ortiz’s homerun was quite a bomb, and it was, just making it to the right of the 420 wall for a homer. ESPN measured it at 424 ft.

According to that same ESPN tracker, Gardner’s homerun was 420 ft, also a pretty impressive distance.

forensic

Hopefully this won’t be the last time this year that the Yankees and Giants win on the same day.

forensic

And now that I’ve watched the game I have to ask. What % of NFL players are in the HOF? 70? 80? Geez… Some guy who wasn’t a HOFer for the first 28 years he was on the ballot finally did enough to make it on his 29th ballot. Seriously???

Get Phelps Up

I didn’t see any of the game, by the way, so I will ask, how scary was Pedroia’s foul ball in the 9th inning?

forensic

It was hit well enough, but curved pretty well foul wide of the pole at the top of the monster. Scary for a second, but once the camera got to it it was gonna be pretty clearly foul.

Dalek Jeter

Ehh, everybody (inlcluding Pedroia) knew it was foul almost immediately off the bat. It was a good thirty plus feet foul by the time it got to the wall. The announcers made it sound closer and added some of the tension…but it was pretty foul.

Get Phelps Up

Doesn’t sound too bad…still, sometimes it’s nice to be on Gameday and have plays like that be simply “Foul”.

forensic

Fifteen homers for Gardner. How about that? He’s been their best player this year and it’s not close.

Quick, trade him! Hopefully they can sign Melky instead…

Wow, that was quite a DotF tonight.

Pinedamaybegreata(formerlyMonterowasdinero)

Gardy is really clearing his front hip and getting his front foot down which is allowing him to turn so well with power. He has so much more confidence to swing when he is ahead in the count and not settle for a walk as he has done previously in his career.

Now would he please STOP sliding into 1B!!!!

Bronx_Boy

I listened to the game on the radio and according to Sterling Gardner’s shot was a monster bomb deep deep deep into the night. He said several times what an unbelievable powerful shot it was. Then you say it wasn’t that at all. I had visions of Gardener tuning into Reggie in my head.

jgibs

If you haven’t seen the replay online yet, it wasn’t deep to the batter’s eye in center deep, but it was a no doubter. You could tell just from watching Nava in right as he tracked it. Probably 4-5 rows behind the bullpen. Certainly not in the bullpen itself.

http://RAB Yankee Trader

Michael-

I would think that Tanaka would have had another MRI to check if the supposed 10% UCL tear has improved, before testing it out by throwing today. Did he?

Also does anyone know if , after PRP, 3 weeks is enough time for the stem cells to fully regenerate healthy tissue?

No 2013 again

I know it’s small since we won, but I thought it was absolutely dumb to let Ells hit when Jeter reached in the 9th. You have a 1-run lead and he’s hitting like a backup catcher for quite some time now. Have him bunt and try to get an insurance run.

Anyways, great win. Now comes the make or break part of the schedule.

John C

Where are all the posters who said “I really can’t understand the Drew acquisition. Seems like Cashman is grasping at straws here. May as well have stuck with Roberts”.

http://RAB Yankee Trader

I admit I wasn’t very excited when I heard the Yankees got Drew, but thanks to Blake’s persistence, he is a Yankee, and playing a Gold Glove caliber 2nd base!

mike

On another note, it would be wonderful if Mr Jeter hit the ball out of the infield on occasion…more and more it seems he and Gardner should be flip-flopped

Yankee Fan 1

He had a good series in texas, hit a homerun on Friday night, and a big 2 run double Saturday. Yesterday was on off night, but Derek’s been pretty good as of late. In the last month he’s hitting .306 with a .355 OBP

mick taylor

favorite mike strahan moment when the giants were down 14-10 inthe 4th quarter in super bowl, he went up and down the giants bench impolring the players to believe they could win. this kind of leadership is lacking on this yankee team of overpaid complacent millionaires